Signs of a Guardian
by WritingintheMoonlight
Summary: My written version of the PR: Guardian Signs game. Follow our heroine as she fights for Oblivia! -Started before I realised just how many of these there are. Whoops! Disclaimer inside. 'Chapter Six- Eccentric' is up: 'I don't care what you people do.' '...glancing around for anyone in need of help… and avoiding them.' 'This girl looks...girlish' 'It's in the interest of science'
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer (for the full story): I do not own any characters, story plots, scenes, any lines I may take from the game and stuff. It's not mine. Any of it.**

**This fanfiction is my written version of Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs. I might be doing a few of these written versions of things- games, anime… etc. I decided to do these because I was looking for fanfictions that were written versions of games and stuff and while I did find a few, I really wanted to do my own version for the games (or whatever I decide to do a fanfic for) that I like.**

**So that this story makes sense, a few adjustments will be made such as not including save machines, making up what the main character says, explaining things like the Capture Styler and the Ranger Union and such. For the Voice Navigation on the Capture Styler I will be taking the lines from the game. If I can't find a way to adapt a line such as 'Skydiving… with no parachute!' then I'll just use that from the game, but as the above disclaimer says, those aren't mine.**

**So, without further ado, my written version of Pokémon Ranger Guardian Signs.**

Prologue

Our story begins in the sky above the peaceful region of Oblivia. The sky was a calming blue, the kind you get on those carefree summer days in, well, summer. It was tranquil and quiet, save for the calls of bird Pokémon.

Suddenly, a desperate cry punctured the stillness. A large, red winged Pokémon was flying as fast as it could possibly have flown. The winged creature cried out again, in fear perhaps, or determination- for it was being chased. The two people chasing it were flying on hovering machines, the rounded base of which they stood on and the handle like that of a bike. A small, cylindrical tube protruded outward at the bottom of the handle's support, which was a long, thin metal bar. The people wore identical green outfits.

The Pokémon swerved unexpectedly as several green lights shot at it from behind, fired from the tube on the hovering machines.

"Alright!" An excited male voice shouted. "We got you now, Latias!"

The female on the other machine grinned. "Just let us capture you! It won't hurt, I promise!" The woman snickered, along with her partner.

"You can't get away!" the man taunted.

As the distance between both parties closed, another, higher pitched Pokémon cry sounded from behind. It was that of a Staraptor. The Staraptor was being flown by none other than our heroine. She was dressed in red and yellow, in the easily recognisable uniform of a Pokémon Ranger. Her eyes were protected from the stinging wind by red goggles, a yellow scarf flying out behind her.

The two that were chasing Latias had turned at the sound of the Staraptor's screech, now staring at the girl before them.

"That uniform…" the man said.

"…she's a Pokémon Ranger." His partner stated for him.

"Well then. We know what to do." The two gave identical smirks and tapped something into a screen on the hover machine handles.

The voice navigation system on the Ranger's Capture Styler piped up in its robotic voice, "Your adversaries are using Pokémon to attack. Please capture the Pokémon to calm it down."

For those that do not know, a Capture Styler is an extremely advanced piece of equipment that every Pokémon Ranger uses. It is strapped to the arm of the Ranger and has several uses. To capture a Pokémon with it, a button must be pressed to start 'Capture Mode' where the Styler shoots energy, controlled by the Ranger, at a Pokémon- such energy will convey feelings of friendship to the Pokémon. The Ranger draws loops around the Pokémon they wish to capture with the energy. Any attacks from the Pokémon will be absorbed by the Styler. A Styler has a set amount of energy points, a different kind of energy from the one it fires. These points will decrease as the Styler takes damage. Several different things in 'Capture Mode' can be updated, such as the length of the lines that can be 'drawn' with energy, or the power of capture energy, amongst several other functions.

The other utilities a Capture Styler has are things like the ability to communicate with other Rangers, a map, a Pokémon browser listing the Pokémon caught by the Ranger (much like a Pokédex) and other extremely useful uses.

But back to the story. The attackers finished typing on the screens swiftly, still with the arrogant smirks in place. Almost a second later, a small bird Pokémon flew towards the Pokémon Ranger, but the girl only had time to be mildly surprised as the bird Pokémon, a Pidgey, attacked.

The capture was quick and simple, the Ranger completing the task with ease. The two adults looked affronted.

"Agh!" the woman cried. "How could you do that so easily?"

"Never mind that, Latias got away!" said the other, anger in his eyes.

"Damn it! You'll pay for that, Ranger!" The last word was spat with pure spite. "Say hello to the Plasma Cannon!" she was, of course, referring to the tube that shot out the green balls of light.

The deadly light shot towards the Pokémon Ranger who managed to dodge it as easily as Latias had, only a short gasp escaping from her lips to announce her surprise.

"What?!" the woman gaped at the girl, her face showing plain shock at the Ranger's easy evasion of the shots. She gave an animalistic growl of anger. "Alright, no more messing around. Time for the double attack!"

The Ranger frowned. The duo before her prepared to fire.

The Voice nav. on the Styler spoke again, "Picking up strong energy reactions. Guide Staraptor to dodge the attacks." And that's what our Ranger did. Bursts of light were all the girl could acknowledge, but somehow, she managed to dodge all of the incoming projectiles within seconds of them occupying the space she had just left.

"Oh, great!" cried the male attacker as he tried to fire another shot, but failed. "The battery's dead!"

The female grunted as her Plasma Cannon failed her as well. "Mine, too. All that random firing was a waste. Good going, idiot." She added, blaming her companion.

"But it was your suggestion!" The whiny voice he used was ignored.

"Looks like… we'll just have to attack without the Cannons." That irritating grin was back. "Ramming time!"

The Ranger resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the childish adults, who she knew she could dodge.

"Hold that thought!" A new voice cried. The girl looked to her right, where another Ranger shot through the clouds. Ben, her partner. Finally. Where had he been? That was a question to be answered later, though. Now was hardly the time.

"Two on one is hardly fair." Ben said. He shot his friend a smile before turning back to face the attackers, who were arguing with each other.

"There's more than one! Our Cannons are down! Let's get outta here already!"

"Oh, please. They're just children. It won't take much to overpower them… but, I see your point. There isn't much point staying here, anyway."

Yet another new voice called out. "Wait! There's no need to retreat!"

A man clad in red appeared, riding on his own red version of the hovercraft, which had a substantially bigger Plasma Cannon attached. His hair was blonde, but dyed a fierce red at the ends.

"Leader! They're Rangers!" both the original foes exclaimed at the same time.

"You think I don't have eyes?" he hissed, glaring. "Flying rangers, though. Hm. That's certainly a first. But this is a joke. Two children playing hero in their silly Ranger outfits easily outsmarting you two? Honestly."

"Children?!" Ben shouted over the wind, annoyed. "But like you said, it's a joke that we can defeat your little team! Actually, I only arrived about a minute ago, so it's even better. Outsmarted by one Ranger, not two." The girl beside him motioned for him to calm down, which he did, stopping his outburst.

The leader narrowed his eyes. "Alright, boy. Do you know what you get for being so rude? I have just the thing for a tough little Ranger like you. Skydiving… with no parachute!" As soon as the last word was said, a whirring noise could be heard from the Plasma Cannon at the man's feet.

And in one second, several things happened. Ben screamed, dropping any attempts at bravery. His partner launched herself towards the green light that was far bigger, brighter and far more lethal than any others shot previously. And the man in red laughed.

The girl Ranger cried out as the shots hit her, but the sound was lost to the world as everything faded to black.

**I know that in the game there are a few things after that, but this seemed like a good place to end the prologue. If I get a positive response to this, then I will start writing chapter one. And if I don't really get any responses, I will start writing chapter one anyway. Yeah, I don't really know how it's going to work (It's my first fanfic, don't kill me for my ignorance, I'm begging you!), but I'll wait and see what happens while I work out the website. :D Also, I hope my explanations of things made sense, but if they didn't, let me know. Another thing- I know this is short, but it's only the prologue, chapters will be longer.**

**Reviews are much appreciated, because as you can kind of tell, I'd love to know how I'm doing, so review away! Until next time!**

**Uploaded on: Thursday 30****th**** October 2014**

**Re-uploaded: Friday 28****th**** November 2014 – I just added the feelings of friendship thing to the Capture Styler description. :)**

**As of 17:29 and however long this takes to take effect on 21/02/15, I'm changing the title of this story to 'Signs of a Guardian'.**


	2. Chapter 1- The Beginning of Adventure

**Chapter One**

The last thing she saw was the mocking expression of the man in red, before her consciousness faded.

The last thing he saw was the pained face of his partner, before she fell through the clouds.

Ben did the only thing he thought appropriate. He cried the name of the girl that had stood by his side through countless missions. The girl that was falling, falling, falling….

"Summer!"

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>Summer hit the water with a splash, being jolted unceremoniously from her unconscious state. The Micro Aqualung activated the second it came into contact with the water, forming a mask that would allow her to breathe. With the mask, a special system allowed her to hear the Voice Nav. from the Styler.<p>

Summer looked around, confusion showing on her features. How had she ended up here, underwater? The last thing she-

And then she remembered. The two on the hover machines, Ben, the man in red, the green light… And she faintly recalled the chilling laugh she'd heard before she lost consciousness.

A loud, robotic voice sounded in her ears, bringing her back to the present. The Voice Navigation. "The Capture Styler has come off! Urgent! Reattach the Capture Styler!" the same lines were repeated, until the voice crackled and faded.

Summer looked down to see the component that enabled captures had indeed come off of the main part of her Styler, sinking down at a fast rate. She tried to swim after it, but before she even got close an excited-looking Mantyke seized it and swam away.

Sighing, Summer had no choice but to swim after it. After gaining on the blue Pokémon through short bursts of speed, it grew frightened, dropped the Capture Styler and swam off again.

Luckily, the Capture Styler settled on what looked like a dais, with a pretty, rainbow-like pattern. Summer looked around her, surprised to see stone columns and broken bits of stone. She shook her head. She could admire things in her own time, but right now she needed to get to land. The Aqualung could only be used for so long.

Reaching down, she grabbed the Capture Styler and hastily reattached it. As she turned to swim back to the surface, her Voice Nav. spoke again. "Danger, danger! Massive object approaching!" Summer looked around as the water around her seemed to shake and a rumbling noise could be heard.

"Danger! Danger! Extremely strong current! The current is… zzz zzz zzz…" And at the exact moment the robotic voice began to fail, Summer saw the 'massive object' fast approaching. It was, in fact, a submarine. A large, black submarine that was closer than she had thought. And bigger. And before she could even comprehend it, the current swept her away.

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>The submarine had surfaced mere meters from the spot where it had caused Summer to be carried away. A hatch opened, and out flew ten men and women on the flying machines. They were dressed in the green ensemble that the two who had chased Latias had been dressed in.<p>

One man, the leader of this group, turned to face the rest. His words were slow and deliberate. "Alright. For those amongst you who suffer from short-term memory- or are too stupid to remember simple orders- let me remind you of our mission. We fly to Dolce Island. It is uninhabited. Therefore, we should have no trouble capturing the Pokémon there. Keep an eye out for the target. Clear?"

A series of nods and a few murmurs of "Crystal…" were given in response.

"Alright. Let's go!"

And with that, they all flew off to carry out their mission.

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>A group of happy Pokémon all stood in a clearing, smiling and having fun. The group consisted of several Pichus, Marills and Bulbasaurs and one Sunkern. In the middle stood a Pichu holding a blue ukulele that was lovingly handcrafted out of wood. The Pichu shone with electrical charge and when it ran its paw along the strings of the ukulele, it gave a joyful, melodic tune. When it had finished playing, the other Pokémon cried out in joyful appreciation of the music.<p>

But when the Ukulele Pichu looked to the sky, it froze with surprise. And when all the other Pokémon looked to see what caused the alarm, panic ensued. The group scattered, running to hide.

The assembly of men and women from the submarine dismounted their hovering machines, and split into groups at the command of the leader. The groups searched the island and upon encountering a Pokémon, used a special device to capture it. The device was a Control Gauntlet and it was the opposite of a Ranger's Capture Styler- instead of conveying friendship, the energy conveyed hatred to a Pokémon. The Gauntlet was like a glove, it was 'worn' on the hand and the palm was where the energy was shot from.

After several minutes of capturing both frightened and angry Pokémon, the leader gathered the rest of the group, declaring: "We have established that the target isn't here! Though disappointing, this is still good work. Let's get back to the leader. Z.Z. Flyer Squad, move out!"

The Flyer Squad had gone and most of the island's Pokémon had been captured, but there was a rustle and out of a shrub jumped the Ukelele Pichu. It looked around frantically, wondering if all of its friends had been taken by the intruders.

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p><em>Haze… A memory… She and Ben stood on an electronic map of the Oblivia Region, facing an old man in a lab coat.<em>

"_Ah, yes." He said. "You two… I've been told good things about you…" The man trailed off and his gaze drifted slightly to the left of the two Rangers, thinking._

_After a few seconds of silence, Ben coughed pointedly and the man's gaze snapped back to them. His eyes narrowed. "Impatience will get you nowhere, boy. Now. I trust that you have heard of me? Well, who hasn't these days..? I am Prof. Hastings, the Ranger Union's Chief of Technology!"_

_Ben looked at Summer and rolled his eyes. She grinned in response, then looked back to the Professor._

_Hastings started to walk back and forth in front of the Rangers. "Now, I am sure that you are aware of the situation in the Oblivia region?" He glanced at the teenagers, who stood up straighter, intrigued._

"_There is a group, much like Team Dim Sun you might say, who are taking helpless Pokémon from their owners. They call themselves Pokémon Pinchers. The organisation is only getting bigger and I want you two to go to Oblivia and stop them in their tracks- they can only be up to no good."_

_Ben folded his arms, looking determined. "No problem! We'll stop 'em, right Summer?"_

_Summer nodded._

"_Good." said the Professor. "It's good to see that you are willing to do this mission. Now, the Oblivia region i- "_

"_Hold on!" A plump man with brown, pink-tinged hair dashed in, looking quite pleased with himself. "Hi, you two." He said, slightly breathless. He held out a friendly, if slightly sweaty, hand. Uncertainly Ben shook it, then Summer. "I'm Murph."_

_Hastings looked quite annoyed. "Murph, what are you-" But again, he was interrupted as Murph stepped in front of him, grinning._

"_I'm in charge of the PR at the Union, you know." Murph said. "It's a great job, I couldn't believe it when they promoted me!"_

_The Professor sighed. "Yes, yes, Murph, I couldn't believe it either. Now let me take care of the explanation, would you? Go and… do whatever it is you do."_

"_Sorry, Prof., but this is one of my responsibilities. So, no." A moment's silence ensued as the Professor decided not to engage in this silly argument any longer._

"_Good choice, Prof.!" Murph grinned, a strange glint in his eye. "Alright. Oblivia is a peaceful region, probably the one where'd you go and live in when you retire." Murph glanced at the Professor when he said this, but the glance was fleeting, so Hastings hardly noticed. "There's only one Ranger there, right?"_

_The Profssor nodded. "That may be exactly what the Pinchers are looking to exploit. With only one Ranger around, it would be easy to get away with more."_

"_Exactly. You know, the region's motto is: 'Oblivia, Islands of Ancient Ruins and Legends.'. Sounds dead exciting, I know. A lot of archaeologists have visited lately, trying to work out the region's secrets. It's quite funny actually, they're there for months but they get nowehere and-"_

"_I think that's enough, Murph. If you're so eager, then let me find you a job." Murph moved to interrupt, but the Professor tapped his walking stick on the floor, glaring. "I'll make sure it's exciting, for goodness sake. Now, then." He turned back to the Rangers, both of whom were watching the exchanges between the two with mild amusement._

"_Oblivia might be peaceful, but keep an eye out. We may not know what they are after, but the Pinchers are a dangerous organisation. You will leave at once. Do your best."_

_Ben smirked and gave a sidelong glance to his partner and raised his hands in a thumbs-up. He whispered, "We can do this!" to her, just loud enough for her to hear._

_Summer gave a quick nod, smiling. And at the same time, both of them gave their best Ranger poses, excitement on their features._

"_To Oblivia!"_

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>She heard the sound of the sea, lazily crashing against the sand. She heard the screech of Wingulls above and the smell of sea salt filled her nostrils. She felt the soft tickle of sand underneath her. Only the voice of her Styler caused her to rouse.<p>

"Current location… X Coordinate 055665, Y Coordinate 355671. Seawater has penetrated the Styler's Voice Nav. circuit." The sentences were repeated with several 'bzzz' noises and crackles, but then the Voice faded altogether.

Summer got up slowly, stretching and shaking her head. This was not going well. She had lost Ben and felt pretty weak- well, she should be worse off, really. Falling from the sky and getting swept along by a strong current, then only feeling weak?! What was she, superhuman?

Her Styler beeped. "This is Dolce Island in the Oblivia region… Bzzzz… Recovering Voice Nav. program. Recovering Voice Nav. program." Summer sighed. She hoped her Styler wasn't too damaged.

Summer tapped her foot. "Recovery is almost complete. If you want to use Styler functions, please touch the Styler menu button in the lower-right corner of the Styler screen. For more information, please refer to the Glossary in the Styler menu." Summer frowned as static sounded from the Styler. "The Stlyer's communication functions cannot be recovered. Commuincation with Ben is currently impossible." Oh great, Summer thought. This was even worse.

Her current coordinates were repeated. "Oh, shut up." Summer muttered. Her location was repeated again, much to her exasperation.

"According to the data about this area: Dolce Island is uninhabited. The nearest inhabited island is Renbow Island, which is north of Renbow Island, across a narrow strait." Alright. With new resolve, Summer decided to find a way to Renbow Island.

After walking a short way across the beach, she saw a path that led to a forest. She followed it and after walking past a hollow tree trunk, she came upon a small Pichu. The Pichu looked lost and was wandering about, calling out every few seconds. It looked as if there was a Ukulele on its back, which was cute, she observed.

But when the Pichu spotted her, it glared. Before she could blink, it ran at her and attacked, electrical energy making it glow.

Summer activated her Styler.

**Hellooo! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this! I hope you don't mind all the scene switching and page breaks! …Am I right in saying Pichu has a paw? And yes, I always thought Murph's hair looked pink in the game, but apparently it's not according to a quick Google search. **

**I did say that actual chapters would be longer, didn't I? Sorry. If you think the chapters are fine this length or should be longer, let me know. But, yeah, I'll try to make them longer anyway.**

**Thank you to followers, favourite-rs and reviewers! I'll keep writing for you! :D**

**As of 17:29 and however long this takes to take effect on 21/02/15, I'm changing the title of this story to 'Signs of a Guardian'.**


	3. Chapter 2- Booker

**Chapter Two**

The Pichu was clearly aggravated, and was putting up one heck of a fight. It shot sparks of electricity at her at every opportunity -so Summer waited for an opening and sensing one, she prepared to capture the Pokémon. The next few seconds were a blur, the glowing energy from the Styler looping around the Pichu. The words "Capture Complete!" sounded from the Styler and with a smirk of satisfaction, Summer pulled away.

"Looks like falling into the ocean wasn't enough to make me lose my touch." Summer muttered.

Her Styler spoke again. "The capture conveyed your feelings of friendship to Pichu. Pichu is no longer dangerous."

Summer crouched down, holding her hand out to the Pichu. It looked at her warily, then stepped forward and sniffed uncertainly. It cocked its head to the side, and then seemed to smile. It suddenly jumped backwards and in a single, swift motion, grabbed the ukulele from its back and strummed.

Summer watched it, fascinated, until a voice shouted, "Pichu! Thank Arceus, you're alright!"

Summer stood as an old man wearing a striped shirt, brown shorts and sandals approached, looking like he was about to cry tears of joy. The Pichu ran over to the man, crying out with glee. "Pichu! Pichu!"

"Oh?" The old man frowned at the Pokémon. "Where are the others? Nick was cryin' about an apocalypse, cause he saw the folks on hovering machines chasing round the Pokémon. And then I came out and I saw-"

The old man looked up, seeing Summer. "Well, I'll be! You're a Pokémon Ranger! You got a name, lass?" Summer told him. "Ah, Summer. I see. The name's Booker, I live across the water on Renbow Island. I'm a master shipbuilder."

"A master shipbuilder?" Summer frowned.

"Aye, lass. It's a job I take a lotta pride in. I build a lotta small boats, which the Pokémon can use as life rafts if there's a big wave or somethin'."

"I see…" Summer said, though she didn't really. The Pichu took the lull in the conversation as a cue to jump up, strumming its ukulele. It wandered over to Summer, plucking the strings.

Booker gave a toothy grin. "My, my. Looks like Ukulele Pichu likes you, lass."

"Er, Ukulele Pichu?"

"Yes, that's what I decided to call it. The ukulele looks great, doesn't it? You know, this Pichu always finds a way to cheer me up after a long day. To show that I was grateful, I made it this here ukulele. Obviously, it's not able to actually play, but the ukulele always makes a little twang noise when the electricity runs through it."

"Wow, that's cool." Summer said, looking at the Pichu, who saw her looking and gave a little twirl.

"Hey, Ranger lass. Have ya ever seen… a UFO?" Summer frowned and Booker elaborated. "My apprentice says he saw some, and when I came out to 'ave a little look-see, there were some strange things flying above this island. It made me worry 'bout the Pokémon, so I rushed on over. And I saw these people on hovering machines chasing the Pokémon around, but they flew off before I even got close enough to call out to 'em. D' ya reckon they coulda been aliens? O' course, this Pichu seems to be alright, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of its friends."

The Pichu looked sad and when Booker saw this, he said, "…but I reckon they're just hidin, ain't they?"

Summer looked puzzled. The part about hovering machines sounded like it was related to the people from earlier... Before she could say anything, though, Booker spoke up with a proposal.

"Anyhoo, Summer, Dolce Island sure is a nice place, but it's no place to stay. I'll take ya to Renbow if ya want, on one of my boats."

Summer nodded. "Thank you."

"Alright. If you follow this path, it should lead to a beach. I got my boat at the pier there. But, ah, just one sec, lass." He turned to Ukulele Pichu. "You go on and let your friends know it's safe to come out, now, okay?" The Pichu strummed it's ukulele in affirmation and jumped into the bushes.

Following the path, Summer and Booker headed to the pier. Summer noticed that there really weren't any Pokémon around, which caused her to wonder what exactly had those 'UFOs' done?

She turned and continued on the path, which led out onto a cliff overlooking the sea. Not far away, Summer could see an island, which she assumed to be Renbow Island.

Booker stopped next to her. "I bet you've guessed this, Ranger lass, but that right there is Renbow Island. I live in a place called Cocona Village, which is where we'll be goin'. Renbow's got lots o' beautiful Pokémon and places, and the folk there are as pleasant as is possible. If you look there," Booker pointed to a tall tower on a mountain. "you can see Wireless Tower."

Summer shielded her eyes from the bright overhead sun and saw the Tower, seemingly glinting in the distance. Summer looked around her and noted that there was a small, black object with four holes in it to her right. It was probably just some sort of marker, she thought, and moved on, Booker following behind her.

Mere seconds later, she came across a set of steps leading to the beach. She moved towards them, but then Booker cried out an incredulous, "What?!" and Summer spun round, Styler raised.

"My boat, it's gone! How can we get to Renbow Island now?!" Summer moved forward, lowering her Styler, and saw that the old man was right, the only thing next to the pier was the sea, which was lazily flowing against the shore. She marvelled at how clear it was, and how pretty the sparkles created by the sun were.

She heard Booker say "Damn!" behind her, and she turned to face him. He was shaking his head. "I was in such a hurry, I forgot to tie the boat down!"

Ah. How clever, Summer thought. But then the man's eyes lit up at something he had seen behind her. "Ah! My spare boat!" Booker rushed past her, to a plain wooden boat with a paddle inside.

Booker put one hand on the boat, smiled, and looked at Summer. "I've jus' started building her, but it should be perfect for takin' us to Renbow."

Summer grimaced. If he'd just started building it, it's not going to be safe, she thought.

"No need for apprehension, Ranger lass. Whether it's finished or not, my boats are the safest in all Oblivia. All that needs to be done it to get this baby into the ocean. Normally I'd get some folks to help me move it, but, as you can see, all I got is you, lass. I'm sure a smart Pokémon Ranger like you will be able to figure something out."

Summer looked around. Without Pokémon, she wasn't sure how much help she'd be. "But, ah, Booker. There aren't any Pokémon around."

Booker just smiled. "D'you remember what I asked Pichu to do before we set off, lass?"

Summer nodded as she realised what he was implying. If Pichu had gone to tell the other Pokémon it was safe to come out, then…

"I'll be right back." She told Booker, and dashed back into the forest.

Sure enough, Pokémon were now milling about the forest, albeit looking a bit anxious. Summer could now see Sunkern, Sentret, Mareep, a Teddirusa and an Ursaring. Hang on, Summer thought. An Ursaring? She smiled. Perfect.

While relatively stronger than the Pichu, the Ursaring was still an easy capture. All Summer had to do was look out for its claws. With the satisfaction of a successful capture, she made her way back to Booker, who looked quite impressed as he saw the Ursaring amicably following behind her.

Summer held up her right arm, the Styler registering the boat as a 'target'. Pressing a button on her Styler, Summer changed 'Capture Mode' to 'Target Mode'- this changes the feelings conveyed in the energy that the Styler shoots. Because the subject Pokémon has already been befriended, the energy does not convey feelings of friendship. In this mode, the energy directs the Pokémon to a target- all the Ranger has to do is to draw a line of energy from the Pokémon to the target.

Summer aimed her Styler at the Ursaring, and shot. Making sure to keep the Styler steady, Summer drew a line of energy to the boat, which was absorbed in a blue glow. Once she stopped shooting the energy, the Ursaring moved towards the boat.

"Wha-What is it going to do?" Booker exclaimed, looking panicked. Summer chose not to answer.

With a low, rumbling growl, the Ursaring pulled back its right arm, tensed, and then punched the boat with all the energy it could muster. The boat slid down the cliff and into the water with a 'splash'. Summer turned to the Ursaring and thanked it for the help. It paused, looking at her, and then ran into the trees.

Summer heard Booker laugh behind her. "Now, that's a Pokémon Ranger for ya! Thank you, Summer. Now, how about we head to Renbow Island?" Booker rushed down the steps and onto the beach.

Summer nodded. Finally, she was getting somewhere. She followed Booker to the boat and was about to step on, when a familiar cry sounded. The Ukulele Pichu rushed towards the pair, crying out excitedly.

"Pichu, pichuu!" Summer watched in curiosity as it jumped onto the boat, dancing around.

"S'matter, Pichu? Something wrong?" Booker asked the Pokémon, who gave a series of worried "Pichu!"'s in response. Booker turned to the Ranger beside him, frowning. "Pichu here's sayin' that it can't find it's Pichu friends. I reckon it wants to look for 'em on Renbow Island, so-"

"Pichuuuu!"

"-we're just gonna have to have an extra passenger, it looks like."

Summer smiled. "Fine by me."

Booker nodded, jumped into the boat and said, "Come on now, lass. Renbow's a waitin'."

Summer looked back at the forest, out to the sea and up at the sky. It was a nice day. She stepped into the boat. "Let us be off, then, captain."

Booker picked up the paddle, and Summer was on her way to Renbow Island. The Ukulele Pichu danced beside her, twirling and jumping.

Minutes later, they were close to Renbow Island. Summer could see the people, the houses and the Pokémon more clearly now. It was by no means the beginning of her adventure- oh no, that had started with an endless blue sky, Latias and some obnoxious idiots on hovering machines- but Summer still could not explain the mounting excitement she felt as the tiny boat drew nearer and nearer to the island.

**And that ends the second chapter! AGGGGHHH it's not longer than the other one, is it? D: I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just didn't know what else to right after that point because it seemed like a good place to stop. The next one will be extra long though because of all the stuff that's going to happen! Yay! Things! Scenes! People! Excitement! To make up for the shortness, I'll upload the next (longer) chapter up sooner than the usual end-of-month date! But honestly, you have no idea how many times I spelt the word ukulele wrong…**

**Uploaded on: Sunday 1****st Februar****y 2015**

**As of 17:29 and however long this takes to take effect on 21/02/15, I'm changing the title of this story to 'Signs of a Guardian'.**


	4. Chapter 3- New Mission

Chapter Three

Ahead, Summer could see a brightly painted house- in colours of red, yellow and green. The house was situated on a wide, beautiful beach, and was close to the small pier that the boat was about to dock at.

"Alright," Booker said as he tied the last knot, safely securing the boat, "welcome ta Renbow Island, Summer!"

Summer stepped onto the beach, her feet sinking slightly into the soft sand. A line of trees decorated the shore, and an opening next to the house lead to what appeared to be a quaint, little village. "That's my place." Booker said, gesturing to the brightly coloured building.

They had only taken a few steps forward when three laughing children ran onto the beach, stopping when they saw the old man.

"Booker, you're back!" one cried, a boy with mint green hair and covered in mud. The other two gave similar greetings, dancing around Booker. A red-headed girl in a pink dress looked curiously at Summer.

"Are you a Pokémon Ranger?" the girl asked in a sweet, innocent voice. "'Cause you look like Rand, but you're uniform's weird. Are they goggles?" she reached out to touch them, but was too short, even standing on the tips of her toes.

Summer laughed, crouching down so that she was level with the children's height. "Yes, I'm a Pokémon Ranger- my name is Summer. My uniform is different because I come from another region."

"Wooooooow… You're not from Oblivia? Cool!" said the third member of the group, another boy who was looking at Summer as though she was some sort of heroine.

"Oh, Summer's definitely a Ranger, alright. Ya shoulda seen the light-up twirly thing she did… ah, what was it called, lass?" Booker asked, struggling to remember.

The Ranger in question raised an eyebrow, amused. "A Capture?"

"Ah, that'd be the one, lass. I'm sure Ralph woulda loved to 'ave seen it." He motioned to the boy with the green hair, who positively beamed at Summer.

"I bet it was soooo cool!" he piped up, "I bet you were all like: whoosh, twirl, zing, CAPTURE COMPLETE!" with every noise he made, he spun around and jabbed at the air.

"Ahahaha, I'll be glad to show you a Capture sometime." Summer offered with a polite smile.

"Aw yeah! Awesome! I'm gonna go tell everyone that Booker's brought a Ranger to the village!" Ralph dashed off, closely followed by his two friends as Summer stood. "Bye Summer!"

Booker sighed, shaking his head. "Ralph is quite excitable, but he's very reliable. He'd be able to tell you about every place, person or Pokémon on the Island if you asked him." The old man cocked his head to the side slightly, looking at Summer with a thoughtful expression. "I reckon you're mighty tired, Ranger lass. You can come along an' have a breather at my place if you'd like. And so can you, Pichu."

"Thank you." Summer nodded and followed Booker up some wooden steps and into his house.

She was already inside, however, when some 'UFOs' flew over. Several people on the beach cried out, pointing to the sky. Pichu was the only one of the group to witness it. Growing angry, Ukulele Pichu hopped back down the steps and hurried off in the direction of the 'UFOs'.

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>In the house, a boy dressed in an orange and white striped jumper and light blue denim shorts with an orange bandanna tied around his head was focusing on smoothing down the edges of a wooden boat, when he heard creaking floorboards behind him. The boy turned, surprised.<p>

"Booker!" he exclaimed. "You're back, boss! I was beginning to worry that maybe you'd been captured by the aliens and that they might have taken you back to their leader to run horrible experiments and-" he stopped, catching sight of Summer. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm N- Oh no. Booker, you can't! Please!" the boy dropped to his knees, grabbing on to Booker's shorts, who didn't look at all fazed. He pointed a shaking finger at Summer. "You're a Pokémon Ranger, but now you find it boring, and so you came across Booker, who mentioned he was a master shipbuilder with a terrible apprentice and so you offered to become his apprentice and so you came here and oh God, oh my GOD, you're kicking me out, no, boss please, I love this job and okay, I'm not perfect, but-"

"NICK!" Booker roared, causing both younger people to jump. "Stop making up such wild stories! That's not true at all. Summer's just here to rest."

"Oh really?" Nick looked extremely relieved. "Thank goodness." He pushed himself off of the floor, dusted off his hands and held one out to Summer. "Nice to meet you, I'm Booker's apprentice, Nick."

Confused as she was with the dramatic outburst and the sudden change of heart, Summer took Nick's hand and shook it. "Uh, yeah. I'm Summer, a Pokémon Ranger…"

Nick grinned. "Awesome." He said, simply. He then moved around his boss and to a counter, where he busied himself making tea.

Booker shook his head. "I honestly don't know what ta do with him, lass. He does that all the time, just so you know."

Summer laughed. "Right."

"By the by, Summer. I have ta ask. What brings ya ta Oblivia? Your clothes are still damp from when I found ya on Dolce Island, and you look quite worse for wear, lass!"

"Well, it's kind of a long story. It starts back at the Ranger Union…"

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>"Ah, I see." Booker said, understanding the situation at last. "So you reckon that the UFOs are most likely ta be the Pokémon Pinchers, but you can't get hold of your partner, so you have no idea where he is?"<p>

Summer nodded. "That's about the size of it." She sighed. I hope I can find Ben soon, she thought, staring into the tea Nick had made- which was surprisingly good, considering…

"So, these aliens…" Nick said, "I mean, these Pinchers… they have your partner, Ben?"

"Well, I don't know that for sure. I mean, it's possible, but Ben probably managed to-" Summer was interrupted by a yet again frantic Nick.

"Oh, no! What if the Pinchers captured your partner, and are torturing right now while he's bound with a rope in-" This time it was the older man's turn to interrupt.

"For goodness sake, Nick! Stop it! You're worrying the poor lass!"

"Oh, Summer, I'm sorry!" Nick cried, snapped out of his wild fantasy.

Summer shook her head, frowning. "No. What you say is entirely possible. I have to consider every situation and outcome right now."

Booker smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're keeping a clear head despite all of this nonsense." He gave Nick an annoyed glance. "But jus' remember, lass, you're not alone in this. Ralph and I… and heck, even Nick, we'll be here to help when you need it. O' course, not forgettin' lil' Pichu!"

His kind words were met with silence, instead of the musical 'twang' they were all expecting.

"Pichu? Ukulele Pichu?"

"Where's he gone? Was he with you? Oh no, what if he's been captured by the aliens- um, oh right- Pinchers and he's being controlled for their horrible plans and-"

"NICK!"

The three searched the house and even the beach for a couple of minutes, but returned back to the house without the Pichu.

"I honestly have no idea where the lil' guy has gone, lass." Booker said, clearly worried.

Summer smiled kindly. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's nearby." A mere second after she had spoken, Ralph rushed in.

"We've got trouble, people! Big trouble!" he was shouting as he stood in the doorway, hands on his knees, breathless.

Nick smirked. "Oh yeah, your sister catch you hiding her dolls again?"

"No!" Ralph cried, frantically. "Geez, no, not that again. No, this is worse, much worse. That was terrible, but this is worse!"

Booker stepped forward, concerned. "Spit it out then, boy!"

Ralph stood up straight, wiping an arm across his forehead. "The UFOs. They're back. Loads of 'em. They were flying together, to Teakwood Forest. Arley went after them, but he's been gone ageeees. So, I came to get you." He pointed to Summer, with a cheeky grin. "'Cause you're a Ranger."

Summer raised an eyebrow. What awesome logic. "Uh, sure. Ralph? Yeah, Ralph. Where's Teakwood Forest, then?"

"Hold on a minute, lass." Booker held out a cautioning hand. "Did you say Arley went?"

Ralph nodded. "Yeah, but he's been gone a while. Something might've happened to him."

Nick shook his head in disagreement. "Come on, this is Arley. He's amazingly strong. Like, super-duper, extremely- Oh no. What if he chased them through the forest and caught up to them, and they started fighting, right? Yeah, and then what if they used their special weapons on him like they would a Pokémon and now Arley's walking around all like 'Ar, Arley, Arl… Arleeeeey GROOOOOOAWWWRR!'" Nick held out his arms and stomped around, doing his best impression of an Ursaring. "Right?! And then, if you went to Teakwood Forest, Summer, one of the Pokémon Pinchers would say Arley, use Double Kick! And Arley would attack you, Summer and… What?" The whole group was staring at Nick as if he had gone insane. But that was probably a ship that had sailed long ago, if this new story was anything to go by. "Nick…" Summer whispered. "That's crazy."

Nick looked at her, confused. And then it clicked, and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Oh. Right. Yeah. I guess so, huh. Heh. Anywaaaay…"

Booker coughed. "Yes. Anyway. Summer, considerin' the situation, I believe it would be best for you ta investigate and perhaps put a stop to whatever it is the Pokémon Pinchers are up ta. And, 'course, find and help Arley. If it's not too much ta ask, lass?"

Summer smiled. "No problem."

For the first time in a while, her Capture Styler spoke up, much to Ralph's amazement. "New Mission! New Mission! Protect Arley, who went to investigate in Teakwood Forest, from the Pokémon Pinchers!" Words appeared on her Styler Screen, flashing at her. They said 'Mission: Drive the Pinchers out of the Woods!'. Hm. At least her Styler had no trouble with determining missions. Summer glanced at Ralph, and performed her Ranger pose.

When she was back on her feet, she nodded to the small boy, who was wide-eyed and looking at her in astonishment.

"That… was SO cool!" he yelled, clearly excited. "Come on, Summer! I'll show you the way to the forest!"

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>One short walk around a plaza and past two monuments later, Summer and Ralph arrived at the beginning of Teakwood Forest. The Forest was muddy and the atmosphere reminded her somewhat of Dolce Island. The plants, however, were not as exotic or colourful as the ones Summer had seen there.<p>

"Hey! Hold your horses, kids!" A male voice shouted. The two turned and both saw a moustached man, probably in his thirties, rushing towards them. "The Pokémon in the Forest are all riled up because of the UFOs. Unless you're planning on getting hurt, kids, you don't want to go in there."

"It's alright." Summer held up her right arm, showing the man her Styler. "I'm a Pokémon Ranger. If anything happens, I'll make sure to protect Ralph here."

"Hm. A Ranger, eh? Well, alright." He may have given his consent, but the man didn't look to sure of himself as he walked off.

Summer turned to Ralph. "Where to, tour guide?"

Ralph pointed ahead. Up there, there should be a path that leads to Rasp Cavern." Noticing Summer's frown, he added, "A cave."

"Oh, I see." They set off again, passing a Kricketot which chimed and ran when it caught sight of them. A few steps forward and to their right, a wooden fence blocked their path.

"Great." Summer sighed.

"Hey, can you do a Target Clear on it?" Ralph asked her, clearly hoping to see some Ranger action.

"I'd love to, but I'm not sure I'd be able to find the right Pokémon here. It's awfully strong." She said, putting a hand on the wood.

"Aww…" Ralph put his hands in his pockets, disappointed.

"Never mind, Ralph. I'm sure you'll see something pretty soon."

Right on cue, the duo heard some angry shouting from a different direction.

"There's another path up there, Summer! Come on!" the green-haired boy dashed off, leaving the girl to follow him.

When she had caught up, she found Ralph stopped at a point where the path opened into a sort of clearing, surrounded by trees. He was hiding slightly, behind a bush. Without looking back, Ralph waved at Summer to get down.

"Ralph!" she whispered, crouching next to him. "What are you doing?"

"Look!" and so Summer looked. Ralph's gaze was trained on a man, dressed as…

"A Pokémon Pincher." Summer breathed.

"Is that what you call them?" Ralph asked, looking at her for a second, and then back at the Pincher.

"Yeah."

The Pincher, oblivious to his audience, started shouting again. The subject of his rant was a tiny, pink Hoppip. The leaves on its head were shaking. "You have to stop getting in my way, you stupid creature!" He suddenly started, as if realising something. "Let's see how you fare against this!" The man held out his right arm, his palm facing the Pokémon. Purple rings shot out of his hand, surrounding the Hoppip, which, after a few seconds, disappeared. The watching Pokémon, a Stantler and the Kricketot from a few minutes ago, scattered.

"Ha!" The Pincher shouted, looking at his hand in glee. "Gotta love these Control Gauntlets! Aptly named, too. It's just too easy to get stupid Pokémon with them!"

"Hey!" A female Pincher walked over to the male, annoyed. "Stop talking to yourself. And come back to the post!"

"Yes, ma'am." He followed the other Pincher further down the path.

Ralph turned to Summer, eyes wide. "Wow, these people are mean! I don't like them at all!"

"Yeah, neither do I." Summer said, looking at the space where the Hoppip had been and standing. "Let's go. We need to stop them before they can do anything else."

"Right! They went this way!" Ralph led her through the clearing, and around a point where the path curved on itself. Blocking their way forward, however, was a small log. Summer knew what to do, of course. She looked around. A Hoothoot was flying lazily around nearby.

"Are you going to catch it?" Ralph asked, excited.

"Yup." She replied, focusing on the bird Pokémon.

"Yesss!" her young companion cried.

Summer held out her Styler, slowly creeping towards the bird. She didn't want to startle it. Once she was close enough, she shot. The blue energy went high into the air, and carefully, she drew loops around the Hoothoot. It tried to attack her with its talons, but then the capture was complete and it stopped to hover in the air.

Summer sighed with relief. She was worried it was going to scratch her, forgetting that the Styler would take all attacks.

"That. Was. The. Best. Thing. I have EVER seen!" Ralph shouted.

"Ssssh!" Summer put a finger to her lips. "What if they hear you?"

"Oh, no!" he clapped his hands to his mouth. "Sorry, Summer."

"It's okay. I don't think anyone's coming." To make sure, she looked around. "But forget that, Ralph. You wanted to see a Target Clear?" Activating Target Mode on her Styler, Summer stepped toward the log. Then, she connected the Pokémon she had just caught to the log with a simple line, and then stopped. The Hoothoot cried out and with a flash of sharpened claws, the log was cut in half.

Summer put a hand on her hip as the bird Pokémon flew off, its job done. "How was that?"

Ralph's mouth was agape with shock. He shook his head. "Too cool."

"Shall we go on then?"

Ralph looked at her for a puzzled second, and then said, "Oh, yeah! This way!"

The path circled around a large tree, and then, ahead of them, were the people they had been following. The male and female Pinchers from before. They seemed to be bored, using idle chatter to pass the time.

"So… How come you're not in the cave with the others?" the man asked.

"Oh, 'cause I'm not experienced enough, apparently. Stupid- Oh? Well what have we here? A Pichu? And a cute one, at that."

From nowhere, and much to the watching Summer and Ralph's surprise, Ukulele Pichu had run up to the two Pinchers, waving it's paws about.

"Oh, I dunno." Said the male. "Looks pretty cheesed off, to me."

"Pichu! Pichuuu!"

The female moved forward, crouching down and poking Pichu's head, causing it to growl and jump back. "Ahaha, it think it's tough! Look, Dave. It's got a ukulele- as if the thing could actually play an instrument!"

"Oh, I've seen it before!" the man cried suddenly, snapping his fingers. "On, err… what was it called…Dolly Island?"

"Dolce, you nitwit. I bet the silly thing misses its friends. Well, you can see your little Pichu friends if you just stand still…" She raised her Control Gauntlet, grinning. She activated it, but Ukulele Pichu jumped back from the purple energy, sticking out its tongue. "Oh, we gonna play, huh?" she moved after it, activating her Gauntlet again and again, Pichu dancing out of range each time.

"Oh, let me do it." Her partner moved forward, sighing. But his attempt was just as fruitless as hers, as Pichu just hopped out of reach. "Ugh. This Pichu is getting on my nerves now. Double Capture?" he asked the female, who nodded. Both moved to either side of Ukulele Pichu, raising their Gauntlets again. The Pokémon looked confused, looking at them both.

"That's enough!" Summer shouted, running towards the two, startling them out of performing the Capture. Pichu cried out joyfully, running towards her and Ralph, who was following closely behind.

"Now, now, kids- Oh my. Lookie here, a Pokémon Ranger." Said the female, mildly surprised. "Dave, I thought the only Ranger here was a man? Not some snot-nosed brat."

"Don't ask me, I had no idea about a second Ranger. Maybe his daughter?"

"No, his daughter is that crazy scientist girl."

"Oh, right."

"Hey!" Summer shouted, stomping her foot. "Quit talking, unless you're willing to tell me what's going on?!"

The male Pincher-Dave, apparently- laughed. "Drop the theatrics, kid. Do you see our friends?" he gestured behind him, and for the first time, Summer noticed two angry-looking Pokémon- a Buizel, which was shifting from foot to foot, glaring at her, and a Croagunk hopping about, looking thoroughly unhappy.

"Your Pokémon don't intimidate me." Summer firmly stated, standing her ground.

"Oh, really? Dave, she says our Pokémon don't intimidate her." The female snickered.

"Oh, don't worry, I heard. Okay, child, nice try. But you best be sure."

Summer raised her Styler with a frown. "Please. Just get on with it."

Dave the male Pincher sighed. "Okay, girlie. But don't say I didn't warn you."

The Ranger shrugged, determined to get the last word. "I won't."

He was positively shaking with annoyance. "Go, Buizel, Croagunk!"

The two Pokémon looked up sharply, and then charged. Summer set her feet apart, and remembered just in time to set her Styler back to Capture Mode.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's thirteen pages on word, rather than the usual short seven! :) I'll do the chapters longer from now on, now that we're further into the story. **

**Uploaded on: 21/02/15**

**As of 17:29 and however long this takes to take effect on 21/02/15, I'm changing the title of this story to 'Signs of a Guardian'.**


	5. Chapter 4- Electric Beast

Chapter Four

Armed with the confidence of a professional Ranger, and the Styler of a regular one, Summer prepared herself for the angry Pokémon running her way. _Remember, the Styler takes the attacks, not me. The Styler, not me, _she thought. The Buizel and Croagunk stopped a few inches sort of Summer, and then, at some unspoken signal, leapt at her.

Summer stepped back. She saw the claws extend from the Buizel's paws, and the Croagunk's begin to glow a deadly purple as poisonous toxins began to flow to them. The Buizel swiped at her leg as it slid forward and she dodged just in time, the claws missing her by centimetres. Jumping in the space straight away, the Croagunk pulled its left arm back and did a little hop, managing to punch her chest. Summer stumbled backward with a gasp, though the Ranger uniform had protected her.

You see, the Styler and Ranger clothing are connected, so that when it gets damaged from a Pokémon's attack- which is energy based- the energy from such an attack decreases the set amount of energy points in a Styler. These points also decrease if the Pokémon attacks the energy that the Styler shoots to capture a Pokémon, momentarily stopping the flow of energy shot. As a Ranger gains more experience- which is gained every time a Ranger captures a Pokémon- the energy points increase, so that the Ranger is able to Capture stronger Pokémon that have more powerful attacks.

Quick to attack again, the Croagunk aimed a kick at her, but with a swift slide to the right, Summer was able to dodge it. Recovering from when it had missed before, the Buizel shot through the air and smashed into the Ranger's chest. Both crashed to the floor.

"Summer!" cried an astonished Ralph, worried for his new friend.

"I'm- I'm okay!" And she was. Pushing the Buizel off of her and rolling to the side, Summer stood. Out of the corner of her eye, Summer spotted the frog-like Pokémon attempting to creep up behind her, and realised that while the Buizel was recovering from its previous attack, now was her chance to capture the Croagunk. Summer spun round, startling the poison-type Pokémon. With surprising speed and skill, she drew several binding loops around the creature, and after mere seconds, it appeared to calm down. Suddenly, something was clutching on to Summer's shoulders, making her stumble forward several paces. The girl desperately tried to turn her head, and a flash of orange appeared with several deadly claws, and she realised that it was the Buizel. Thinking fast, Summer backed into a nearby tree, the Buizel taking the blow and in a mix of shock and pain, falling from her shoulders.

Spinning around once more, the Ranger aimed at the dazed creature and after a few tense seconds of hoping that it wouldn't start moving again and bright loops of energy, the Buizel was Captured.

With a sigh that released the breath she hadn't realised she was holding, Summer fell to the ground.

"Hey!" her little companion shouted, running to her. "Are you okay?"

Summer nodded, closing her eyes. "That was close, though…" Raising her right arm, she saw that only eight points of energy remained- she had had eleven when she last checked.

"Oh." said Ralph. "Your clothes are kind of… ruined."

The girl looked down, and saw that the boy with green hair was right. Her clothes were drity and riddled with tears. "Huh. So they are. I'll fix them after. Right now, I have a mission to complete."

Ralph grinned. "You're so cool. It's just… awesome."

"Hah. Thanks, Ralph!" Brushing the dust off her clothes, Summer stood, and looked at the two Pokémon Pinchers, which had been momentarily forgotten during the Capture. Both of them were staring at her with something akin to fear.

"I don't know how you did that, little girl, but…" the male said, voice trembling.

"Let's go." The female said, frowning at Summer.

Both mounted their hovering machines, which had been 'parked' at the entrance of Rasp Cavern, and flew off. Feeling somewhat cocky after her successful Capture, Summer gave both a salute as they made their hasty exit. She heard Ralph laugh beside her.

"Wow, they seemed scared of you!" Ralph exclaimed with a smirk. His expression changed to a frown as he turned to Ukulele Pichu. He crouched down, holding a tentative hand out to the electric mouse Pokémon. "Are you okay, Pichu?"

The Pichu practically chirped its happy response, twirling in a circle.

"That's good, then!"

"Right. The Pinchers guarding the entrance have run like the chickens they are, and Pichu has re-joined us. So Arley's in there?" Summer asked, summing up the situation.

"Should be! Let's go!"

"Oh, hey, wait. Should I release these two?" She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, gesturing to the Buizel and Croagunk.

"Are you kidding? They're cool! Keep 'em! Plus, they might come in handy!"

"Gotcha." She bent down, facing the two Pokémon. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out several blue berries. "They're a bit squished, but they're still Oran berries. Here." The Buizel stepped forward shyly and took one, slowly eating it while the Croagunk practically inhaled his. Summer stood. "Let's go."

And with determination to finish the mission, both headed into Rasp Cavern.

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>"So," Dave the Pincher said to his partner as they sailed over the clouds, "you reckon' she's the one then?"<p>

"'Could be. But it also might be a coincidence, so I wouldn't go saying anything about it. We've just gotta see how, and if, that electrical dog responds to her. After all, I'm sure they'll both come running when Blue crashes the Tower."

"Tch. Probably. But isn't it a cat?"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure that it's a dog…"

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>After a short trek here, there and everywhere searching for a suitable Pokémon, Summer came upon a Stantler. After a quick Capture, she jogged back to where Ralph was waiting by a large rock.<p>

"A Stantler? Are you sure that's gonna do the trick?"

"Oh yeah. Never underestimate the power of a reindeer Pokémon."

"Now, I don't know if you're joking or not."

"Who knows? It's a total mystery." Summer grinned. "All right. C'mon, Stantler." She caringly urged the Pokémon toward the rock, and performed the Target Clear. The rock was blasted to pieces, rubble and dust flying everywhere. Summer thanked the Pokémon as it left them.

Once the dust had cleared, Ralph said in a weak voice, "Okay. Never underestimate the power of reindeer Pokémon. Got it."

The Ranger laughed. "Okay, let's keep going."

Both continued down the path, which was growing steadily darker, where several rocks and stones littered the floor. After a few seconds of silence, Summer heard a large 'scuff- whump' sound in front of her.

Squinting into the shadowy dark ahead of her she said, "Ralph, that you? You okay?"

"I'm good!" Ralph called out. "Hey, is there a flashlight on your Styler or something?"

"Sorry, no."

"Darn."

After a few seconds, another noise broke the quiet.

"Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Summer frowned. "Ralph? What's wrong with you? You sound like Murph on the toilet back at the Union."

"It's not me!" The young boy cried, indignant.

"Oh. Then what-" A faint glow appeared beside her, and as it grew brighter, she realised that it was Ukulele Pichu. It was somehow using its electrical energy to make itself glow, making itself a light for the two humans.

"Pichu, that's great! Thank you!" Summer praised the Pokémon, which looked mightily pleased with itself.

The group walked forward, Summer taking the lead this time in case of- Summer stepped forward, but her foot found thin air rather than stone- well, in case of that. "Aaagh!" She cried out as she fell forward, and a small hand grabbed her own, yanking her backwards.

After a short stumble, Ralph let go of Summer's hand, saying with concern, "Are you okay?"

She gave him a thumbs-up. "Fine, thanks to you."

"Good." He paused. "You ought to be more careful, Summer."

"Says the one who just fell back there!" she laughed.

"Hmph." Ralph pouted.

"Say, Pichu, could you stand over there a sec? But don't fall!" Summer directed the Pichu to where she had nearly fallen, and in the light of Pichu's electrical energy, she saw that a ledge was the cause of her almost-fall.

Cautiously, she crept forward, peering over. "It's just a small drop. We can keep going." She reported to an uncertain Ralph. "I'll go down first and catch you, 'kay?" Without waiting for an answer, she sat down on the edge and pushed herself off.

"Summer!" Ralph rushed over to the precipice, looking worriedly for his friend. She was right in front of him, looking up, amused.

"Didn't I say it was only a small drop?"

"Yeah, well…" he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

Summer smiled at him. "Nah, it's cute! Okay. C'mon down, Ralph."

A slight blush of embarrassment gracing his cheeks, Ralph shuffled to the edge, and jumped. Easily, Summer caught him and set him down on the stone floor.

"Thanks." Ralph said, looking around. "It's darker down here."

"That's because we lack our adorable flashlight." As if on cue, said flashlight jumped onto Summer's head, surprising the girl. "Woah! Ah hah, funny. I guess you don't like being called a flashlight?"

In response, Ukelele Pichu leapt from his place atop Summer's head with a growl of, "Piii.".

Summer pouted. "But I called you adorable, too!"

The Pichu practically grinned. It pulled the ukulele from its back and played a happy tune. Once finished, both Ralph and Summer applauded.

"That was cool. But, uh, we kinda need to get going."

"Right you are. Let's go." And so they set off once more, down the shadowed path. Without warning, Pichu ran off ahead of his human friends, leaving them with little light to see. However, Pichu's light lit up something else- a largely built man with long grey hair dressed in light green, standing in front of a path. He looked to be in his late forties.

"Arley!" Ralph shouted, running towards the man.

_That's him?_ Summer thought, mildly surprised. She had been expected someone slightly, well… younger.

"Ralph?" Arley rumbled. "Didn't I tell you not to follow me in here? It's far too dangerous!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ralph waved a dismissive hand, unconcerned. "But I'm with someone!"

Summer walked forward, standing in Pichu's glow so that Arley could see her. "Hi. I'm Summer."

"Summer?" Arley asked, with a frown. He noticed her clothes. "You're a Pokémon Ranger? Were you assigned to help Rand?"

"Ah, well, something like that."

"Yeah!" Ralph piped up. "She's come to Oblivia, and you were gone for aaaaaaages so I asked for her help!"

"I see…" Arley murmured. "Nonetheless, I'm quite alright. I came here because I wanted to know what those people were up to and from what I've gathered, they're after something from the Monument."

Summer frowned. "Err, Monument?"

"Yes. In this cave and other places across Oblivia, there are several Monuments, usually protected by powerful Pokémon." Arley looked rather worried as he added, "But the Pokémon isn't here at the minute, which is probably why they are…"

The Ranger nodded. "Makes sense. Well, I'm not sure how, but we need to stop them."

All of a sudden, they became shrouded in darkness. "What the-?!"

"Pichu? Pichu, where've you gone?" There was a lot of scuffling and bumping into each other.

"Wait!" Summer called out. "Stop! I bet Pichu's gone down there, to where the Pinchers are! We need to follow him, before he causes trouble!"

"Right!" With some difficulty, they found the path, and walked down it.

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>Two Pokémon Pinchers stood before a stone Monument that was covered in an ancient-looking text. One nudged the other and said, "C'mon."<p>

"Yeah, yeah. Okay." The one who had just spoken walked forward, and held out his right palm to the Monument. He was going to use his Control Gauntlet on it, somehow. The purple rings shot out of his hand, on to the centre of the Monument. An electric-blue symbol appeared, but after a few seconds, it disappeared. Several small stones crumbled from the Monument, and the Pincher reached out, breaking off the centre of it.

"Nice. We got the Emblem!" He called out to his partner, waving the piece of stone in the air before putting in a pouch at his side.

"Alright, let's get outta here!" Before they could leave, however…

"Pichuuuu!" Ukulele Pichu ran forward with a primal growl and leapt onto the Pincher's face.

"Agggh! What the heck is it doing?!"

The one with the 'Emblem' sniggered, watching his partner flail about.

"Don't just laugh, you idiot! Get this stupid thing off of me!"

"Hey! Watch who you're calling an idiot, Nick."

Nick waved his arms about, after failing to prise Pichu off of his face. "Fine, fine, fine, Gerry. Just get it off!"

Half-heartedly and with a sigh, Gerry, pulled Ukulele Pichu off of his partner's face, where he squirmed in his hands. "Stupid Pokémon. You can't go around trying to give people shocks, you know!" he threw Pichu down, glaring.

"Pi!" Pichu cried out as he fell, and landed on his back with a sickening 'crack'.

* * *

><p><em>Guardian Signs<em>

* * *

><p>"Hey! Did you hear that?" Summer whispered, looking back at Ralph and Arley. The path had gotten lighter, so much so that she could see her companions.<p>

"What?" Ralph whispered back, confused.

"Well, I'm not sure _what_ exactly. But it didn't sound good." The group turned a corner, where quite a sight met their eyes.

"You can't go around trying to give people shocks, you know!" a male Pincher was shouting, with a tight grip around Ukulele Pichu's neck. The next second, he had thrown Pichu down in his anger.

"Hey!" Summer shouted. She ran forward in an attempt to catch the Pichu. But she wasn't quite fast enough, and the Pokémon landed with a horribly loud cracking noise. "Pichu! Are you okay?"

The Pokémon blinked, looking up at her. "Pich…u! Pichu!" He stood, and ran towards the girl, hiding behind her legs.

"But…" Ralph muttered. "If he's okay, what was that noise?" The answer lay in front of them, in pieces of wood and strings. The ukulele had saved Pichu from the fall, but was broken beyond repair.

Summer glared at the Pinchers, but her next words were directed at the small boy behind her. "Could you pick those up, Ralph?" she walked forward, furiously glaring at the Pincher who had thrown Pichu. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing, throwing a Pokémon?"

Gerry the Pincher looked sideways at his companion, who shrugged. "I don't think that's any of your business, you nosy brat."

Nick tapped his partner's arm, and whispered, "She's a Ranger, Gerry."

"So? Why don't you get the Z.Z. Flyers. I think I've got this. Cranidos! Give 'em what for!"

A low roar sounded from the corner of the cavern, and a Cranidos came rushing forward, its head down. It collided with the back of Nick, whose legs were swept out from under him as the Cranidos charged on.

"Agh! Gerry!" Nick landed on the floor, but immediately stood, rubbing his back. "I've had enough of Pokémon attacking me today, thanks!" he walked off, grumbling.

Summer readied her Styler as the remaining Pincher reprimanded the Cranidos. "You don't attack him, you stupid-urrgh! Whatever! Just… she's your opponent! The Ranger!"

The rock-type practically said, "Oh." with its expression, and then glared. It moved one foot back across the floor, bending its legs and releasing its claws. Summer was ready for it, and could guess what it was about to do.

The Cranidos charged. Summer skipped to the side. The Pokémon crashed into the wall, and fell to the floor.

Summer smirked. "That was almost too easy-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Cranidos stood up and didn't appear to be at all fazed.

"Huh?"

Gerry smirked smugly. "Cranidos has an extremely tough cranium, so it's not going to be knocked out that easily!"

"Damn." Summer muttered. She wondered how to Capture it. _If it's head it the most powerful part, I'll just take it down someplace else!_

Summer ran forward, taking everyone in the vicinity by surprise. She slid to the floor, her legs out in front of her. Her feet collided with the legs of the Cranidos, causing it to fall. As quickly as she could, the girl stood, and drew loops around the Pokémon. Slowly, the Cranidos stood, and she backed away, still drawing the loops of energy.

The dinosaur-like creature began to advance. Summer did not hesitate.

"Capture Complete!" sounded from her Styler as it always did, and Summer sighed with relief.

"Wow! You did it!" Ralph bounded across to Summer, stuffing the pieces of Ukulele into his pockets.

"That was pretty impressive." Arley ambled over as Summer held out an Oran berry to the Cranidos, who greedily snapped at it.

"Thanks." She smiled, then turned her attention back to the Pincher. During the Capture, his partner had returned, and both were mounting the Z.Z. Flyers, which was apparently the name of the hovering machines.

"Alright, Ranger girl." Gerry snapped. "Pretty good, but I honestly don't care. We completed our mission. Let's go, Nick."

"Right." His partner replied, and they both sped off towards the cave's exit.

Summer sighed. "A shame that we couldn't stop them or find out what they were up to, but I'd say that-"

'CRASH'! Arley, Ralph, Summer and Ukulele Pichu turned towards the cave exit, startled. They saw the two Pinchers that they had just accosted, and a third, female Pincher. One of the men, Gerry, had collided with the female, on the Z.Z. Flyers.

"Watch it, would you- Hey! Aren't you supposed to be luring Raikou away?"

The female stood, rubbing her head. "Well, yeah, I was. But Nick messaged me about a Ranger in the cave, so I came to have a-"

"NICK!" Gerry roared. "You idiot!"

Nick lowered his head. "Sorry…"

"So where is Raikou now?"

The female bit her lip. "Erm. Good question, haha…"

"This isn't funny! Raikou could-"

"ROAAAARRR!" an animalistic roar sounded from outside the cave, making the Pinchers jump.

"-be right… here…"

A Pokémon ran into the cave, looking positively irate. It moved on four legs and had yellow fur with black lightning bolt patterns decorating its legs. It had a blue lightning bolt-shaped tail, and a purple cape of fur covered its back. Deadly fangs extended from its mouth and glaring eyes took in the sight before it. The creature roared, and lightning bolts appeared, striking the space around the Pinchers.

"Arrrgghhh! It's Raikou!" one of them shouted.

"No _way_!" came a sarcastic reply.

"C'mon, let's go!" The three mounted their Z.Z. Flyers and flew out of the cave. Raikou tore after them with amazing speed.

Summer was stunned. Had that really been the legendary Pokémon Raikou, one of the elemental beasts?

"Wow. Just. Wow. We saw Raikou!" Ralph danced around, grinning. "We saw Raikou, we saw Raikou! That's soooo lucky!"

"Ahaha, yeah." Summer looked towards the Monument, the centre of it missing. She walked towards it, squinting at the text.

"You probably won't be able to read that, it's pretty ancient stuff."

"Hm." She ran her hand across the empty space. "I wonder what they took, though. Didn't that guy say 'Emblem'?"

Ralph cocked his head to the side. "No idea."

"Ugh. Foolish idiots. I didn't know they'd destroy the Monument." Arley said, sighing.

Summer gave the man a reassuring smile. "Not to worry." She clenched her fist. "I'll stop them!"

Arley laughed. "I hope you do. They seem like terrible people."

Ralph stepped forward. "Hey, Arley. Do you know what was written there?" he gestured to the Monument.

The large man shook his head. "Sorry, kid. I think it mentioned Raikou, though."

"Huh." Ralph frowned and then brightened as he realised something. "Maybe it was about that story! Uh, what was it called... Ah! "Raikou and the Hero of Oblivia!"

"Maybe. Who knows, now that we can't read it?"

"I heard about the story from Booker. I bet it has something to do with what the Pinchers were after! After all, Raikou was chasing them!"

Summer nodded. "It's an interesting theory, for sure. I'll see if I can investigate it later."

"Oh, Summer! I know what Rangers do when they complete a mission!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! Ahem." Ralph coughed, and put on a serious voice. "That was an excellent Mission Clear, Ranger!"

Going with the act, Summer performed her Ranger pose, smiling.

Afterward, her Styler told her, "You've obtained 50 Ranger Points!" Ranger Points are gained after a mission or quest, and the Ranger can use them to update things on their Styler, such as the length of the lines they can draw in a Capture. "Congratulations on the Mission Clear! You may use the points for Styler Modification. Unfortunately, though, Styler Modification is currently unusable. Part of the system was destroyed by the shock of impact from falling." Great. Summer wondered how she could get it fixed.

Even so, it was a Mission Clear for the first time since she had arrived in Oblivia, and it felt great.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! :D Another chapter will be up at the end of the month. I'm uploading chapters then and on the 15****th****, like today. :)**

**Uploaded on: Sunday 15****th**** March 2015**


	6. Chapter 5- Adventures with Nick

**Chapter Five**

_A year ago…_

_Dave the male Pokémon Pincher yawned, slouching against a large door._

"_Will you shut it?!" A female with unkempt light brown hair, stationed at the other side of the door, hissed. "I won't be able to hear anything if you keep it up!"_

"_Yeah, yeah. Why do you have to be so nosy, anyway?"_

"_I have my reasons." She snapped, and returned to listening intently, her ear pressed to the door._

"_I'll be surprised if you can hear anything…"_

_Suddenly, a voice sounded from beyond the door. "The prophecy is as follows…"_

"_Never mind." Dave muttered._

"_Ssssh!" the female whispered, desperately trying to catch every word._

_After a brief pause, the voice spoke again. _

"_As your operations begin,_

_A girl clad in red and yellow,_

_And an electric mouse will appear,_

_Heart lit with passion,_

_Pokémon will be by her side,_

_When she forms the connection,_

_And those of legend,_

_Will show her the signs of a Guardian,_

_But whether her justice prevails,_

_Is what you must decide,_

_Under the gaze of Two,_

_High in the sky."_

_Silence…_

"_What were you saying, Dave?" said the woman, a sly grin on her face._

"_Nothing. Not a damn thing." Dave sighed. "I still don't get why you're so interested in what the boss is up to…"_

"_And you _won't _get it… See ya!" she began to walk away, waving a hand behind her._

"_Wait! Where are you going?"_

"_Places." She stopped, and threw a smile over her shoulder. "Relax. I'll be back before you know it. See you."_

"_Huh?" Dave frowned. Just what was she up to? But as another yawn escaped him, Dave remembered that he was just in this for the money, and didn't really care. Besides, that 'prophecy' thing sounded interesting… Dave grinned. Maybe it was time to spread some gossip._

_Guardian Signs_

Ralph skipped about, dancing in front of Arley and Summer (minus Pokémon) as they walked back to Booker's house.

"So, Summer. What brings you to Oblivia? The 'Pokémon Pinchers'?" Arley asked as they walked along.

"Yes, exactly that. Uh, them. But, yes, the Pokémon Pinchers. It's our first big mission, actually." Summer replied.

"Our?"

"Oh, yeah. My partner, Ben, and I got separated on the way here. I still can't get in touch with him, though…" she glanced at her Styler, frowning.

"I see. Well, I'm sure you'll find him."

"Yeah…" the female Ranger frowned, hoping that she could.

Ralph ran back to them and grabbed Summer's hand, pulling her forward. "Hey! Summer! Come meet Doctor Edward!"

"Huh?" But it was too late to be confused, as Ralph ran into the village plaza, dragging an unwilling Summer behind him. An elderly man with long greying hair and a moustache stood by a group of villagers. He wore a white coat and around his neck hung a stethoscope. A small satchel was being carried in his right hand. As he caught sight of the approaching duo, he gave them a smile.

Ralph stopped in front of the man, who Summer assumed was Doctor Edward.

"Why hello, Ralph. It's good to see you're in such good spirits." Edward greeted. You haven't been ill lately, your mother tells me. I hope that-"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Ralph interrupted. "But, look, Doctor Edward! This is Summer!" the boy gestured to his companion, who, as always, offered a polite smile.

Summer held out her hand, which Edward shook with a friendly smile. "It's good to meet you, Doctor."

"And you, Summer. I take care of the sick and injured all over Oblivia, just so you know." The older man noticed the state of Summer's clothing. "Are you alright? You look like you've been in a fight of some sort!"

The girl sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Well, yeah… Of some sort… But I'm fine!"

After she spoke, Edward noticed another thing about her clothes. "You're a Pokémon Ranger, aren't you?"

"Uh, yes, sir."

"No need to be so formal, Summer. Well, I'm glad that help has arrived."

"Hm?"

"Well, what with all the ruckus that these Pokémon Pinchers have been causing, I was wondering how Rand could take care of it all!"

Summer laughed. "Oh, I see." She turned to Ralph, who was speaking with another child. "Speaking of… Ralph- I'd like to meet Rand."

"Oh, right, yeah." The boy replied. "That would probably help, wouldn't it?"

"Probably!" The Ranger smiled.

"Let's go back to Booker's first, though."

Arley stepped forward. "And this is where I leave you in Ralph's capable hands, Summer. I'd like to speak to Doctor Edward."

The doctor greeted the large man with a friendly smile. "Ah, Arley. Back trouble again?"

"Afraid so, Edward." The two men walked away from the group, conversing like old friends.

Ralph looked up at Summer, saying, "Come on! We have to take Pichu back to Booker!"

The girl looked down at the Pokémon, which had been following them from the cave looking thoroughly miserable. "Right." She said, worried for the creature.

_Guardian Signs_

"Yooooo, Booker!" Ralph called out, startling the old man.

Nick jumped up from a workbench he had been sat on, muttering something along the lines of, '…what if they… but then… oh no, no, no…' to himself. He rushed over to the two. "Ralph! Summer! You're back safe! Oh, thank goodness! I was beginning to worry that maybe the Pinchers had done that thing to you instead of Arley and you were both going round like Pokémon, you know, and-"

"Nick!" Summer clapped her hands in front of the young man's face, shocking him out of his ramble.

Booker walked over, looking quite relieved. "I was beginning ta worry as well, lass, but not like Nick."

Summer grinned. "I don't think anyone worries like Nick." The comment earned her a, 'Hey!' that was promptly ignored.

"Anyway, Summer. Did you find Arley? Did you stop the Pinchers?"

"Yes and no. Arley was fine, but the Pinchers broke and took part of the Monument in Rasp Cavern."

"Great… Honestly, what do they plan to do with that?"

"I have no idea. But, and this is interesting, Raikou showed up."

"Raikou? As in, the legendary electric beast, Raikou?"

"Yes, that's the one. Based off of what Arley told me, I think that Raikou guards the Monument there."

"Hmm…" The master shipbuilder looked down, catching sight of Ukulele Pichu. "And what's wrong with the little guy?"

"Ah. Well, the Pinchers broke his ukulele."

Booker suddenly became furious. "They did what?!"

Summer turned to Ralph, who was getting the broken pieces out of his pockets. After he was certain that he had gotten every piece, the child put them down on a workbench.

"Right. Well, I'll need the wood…"

The automated voice of the Styler sounded. "It seems like there is a person with a problem. Listening to someone's problem and solving it for them is what Pokémon Rangers call a 'Quest'. You can always check the content of the Quests you've taken on in the Quests part of the Styler menu."

Nick whistled. "Wow. Fancy equipment, huh."

Ralph looked worried. "So, Booker, you can fix it, right?"

The old man nodded. "I can, but the materials I need are on Dolce Island. You can find this special wood in a big tree trunk- Summer, you remember passing that, don't you?"

Summer nodded.

"Good. If you don't mind, could you get it for me?"

Another nod.

"Excellent. Thank you, Summer. You see, Ralph, you need wood with a nice, straight grain-"

"Oh, would you look at the time! Geez! Wow, this day has gone so fast! Well, I gotta run, so, seeya!" Ralph dashed out of the house before Booker could say another word.

Nick folded his arms, his face serious. "I think I should go and get the material, boss."

Booker looked surprised. "What?"

"Well, you never expect anything of me, boss. And I reckon Summer should probably try to find Rand as soon as she can, right?"

"Well. I see. That, um, is, I-"

"Boss. C'mon." Nick folded his arms.

"Alright. But you've never been ta Dolce Island, so Summer will go with ya."

Nick sighed. "Fine."

Summer glanced between the two, afraid to get in the middle of them. "Um. Well, let's go, Nick!" she walked out, throwing the two a worried glance over her shoulder. After a second, Nick followed her.

Booker sighed. "I do wonder about that boy, Pichu…"

"Piii!"

_Guardian Signs_

Outside, Nick was frowning, chewing his lower lip.

Summer turned to him. "Are you alright, Nick?"

He looked up, surprised. "Oh, yeah. It's just, I like working with Booker, you know? I like making boats, it's great. But I'm not the best apprentice in the world, and I just want him to trust me."

"Oh. I see." Summer smiled at him. "Well, I don't know either of you too well, so feel free to just ignore me, but I think he cares about you more than he lets on."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Nick smiled, the happiness returning to his face. "Thanks, Summer."

"Anytime. Now, to Dolce Island…"

"I think there's a boat there that you can take. The fisherman's on good terms with Booker, so…"

"Oh, I see."

Summer went over to where Nick had pointed out and a jovial man with a fishing rod in hand greeted them. "Well, hello there, kids! Something I can do for you?"

Summer nodded and explained the situation to the man. Afterward, the man led them over to a wooden boat with a smile. The boat bobbed along the waves with a slow rhythm, and they all climbed in.

"My business would have failed without Booker, you see." The fisherman smiled. "Makes the best boats, that man."

"Yeah." Nick said, simply. The boy's hand trailed in the water, aimlessly waving about. With a sigh, he withdrew his hand and looked at Summer. "Do you really think Booker likes me?"

The Pokémon Ranger gave him a look that said 'honestly…'. "That's what I said just a minute ago, right?"

"Oh, I know what you said and when you said it." He scowled at the bottom of the boat. "I'm just having trouble believing it."

Summer frowned, curiously studying the boy's face. Why did he have such a hard time believing in himself? "Listen to me, Nick." The boy looked up at her with such a dejected expression that she resisted the urge to give him a hug. "You might worry a lot, but I think you're really great and hardworking. And from what I've seen, Booker really does care about you. So believe me when I say it, 'cause I'm usually right about this stuff."

Nick sighed and leaned back. "Right."

Summer stood up as the boat gently bumped into the pier on Dolce Island. With a gentle smile she held out her hand to the boy and said, "C'mon, Nick." Gratefully, he took it and clambered out of the boat.

"I'll be right here!" The fisherman called out to them as they walked down the pier.

"We won't be long!" Summer called back, and went ahead of Nick to run up the stairs leading to the forest.

"Wait up!" Nick shouted, and hastily followed her.

A minute later, Summer had found the tree trunk the Booker had talked about. It was huge. It was circular in shape and very tall- both her and Nick had trouble seeing into it as they were too small.

"Okay." Nick said, giving Summer a grin that she was glad to see after that moment in the boat. "Watch and learn, Miss Ranger. You might need this skill someday!"

"What skill?" But the words were barely out of her mouth when Nick stepped back from the trunk with a face of amazing concentration. Suddenly, he ran forward… and jumped.

"Nick!" the girl ran forward, doing little hops to see over.

"I'm okay!" he replied, and Summer stopped her terrible attempts at jumping. "I even landed on something soft! Ahahahaha- it tickles! Oooh, actually… It feels a bit rough. Weird. Anyhoo, where's that ukulele material? Ah, I found it!" Two hands appeared on the top of the trunk, shaking. One was gripping onto a large piece of wood. Slowly, Nick's head appeared, followed by his shoulders. With a gasp, he put his elbow over the wood. "Hey… Little help, Summer?"

"Oh. Sorry." She laughed, and took the wood from Nick's hand.

"Hey! More heeeeeeeeeelp!" Nick's hands slipped and he fell backwards with a crash. As he landed, there was several squeaking noises.

"Uh, Nick? Did you squeak?" Summer frowned, putting the wood down and stepping forward.

"No, I did not squeak, Summer!" He reappeared, this time climbing out of the trunk easily, as if spurred on by something. Nick fell to the ground, breathing heavily. A shaking finger pointed to the trunk. "Things! Horrible, scary thingsssss! In there!" Unprompted, several black and yellow Pokémon flew out, surrounding Nick.

Summer felt the urge to laugh again. "Wow, a Sunkern's real scary, isn't it? But, wait, there's six of them! Oh nooo!" She did a slow, sarcastic run away from Nick.

"Summer! They're angry, come on!"

Walking back to him, she activated her Styler's Capture Mode and aimed. Despite there being six of them, the seed-like creatures were mostly harmless, and the Capture was over incredibly quickly. With a sigh, Summer turned off the Mode, released the Pokémon and offered Nick a hand. For the second time that day, he thankfully took it.

Nick grinned. "Wow. Can't believe I was scared of a few Sunkerns." He laughed, adjusting his bandana as he did so.

"Neither can I. It's like the funniest thing to happen since I got here."

"Don't you dare tell anyone!"

Summer chose not to reply, instead just offering a grin.

"I mean it!"

Minutes later, the duo arrived back at the pier. Nick stopped walking suddenly, and waited for Summer to reach him. When she did, he said, "Thanks."

"For saving you from the ever so deadly Sunkerns?"

"No. Well, yes, but… I meant thanks for what you said earlier."

"Oh." She smiled. "No problem!"

"Hey!" the fisherman called out. "You heading back?"

_Guardian Signs_

_Later that same day a year ago…_

_A man and woman stood in a dimly lit bathroom, both facing a wide mirror that was set behind a row of sinks._

"_A prophecy, huh? You're sure?"_

"_Yup. Got it on record, if you'd like." She held up a small electronic device, winking._

"_Hard to believe they're that desperate for this whole thing to work. It's so ridiculous- I mean, could not just do it? There's complications with every plan, so why drag poor psychic Pokemon into this?"_

"_Yeah, I know. Nutters."_

"_Chuck us the dye, would you?"_

"_Sure." A bottle of blonde hair dye flew across the room, thrown by the female. Her friend caught it, smiling. "You keeping an eye on them?" the woman asked, leaning against the sink._

"_Yup." Said the man, carefully applying the dye. "Haven't moved in the past hour."_

"_Nice. Hard to believe this'll work, though."_

"_Well, yeah. But those idiots don't even communicate with them face to face, so…"_

"_Still…." She smiled at her partner, eyes filled with worry. "Can't stop being nervous."_

"_Relax." He walked over to the woman, putting a hand on her head. "We'll be fine."_

"_Hey!" she jumped back, grinning. "You got the dye in my hair!"_

"_You'll need it, won't you?" the man frowned, but his smile was playful._

"_Well, sure, but now it's gonna be uneven."_

"_Oh, well let me help you with that."_

"_Hey!"_

_Guardian Signs_

"And this is the how you cut through wood when you want to curve it, Ralph…" Booker was saying to a bored Ralph (who had returned), who sat on a worktop with his chin cupped in his hands, watching the old man with an expression of utmost boredom.

"We're back!" Nick called out, bursting through the door of Booker's house, arms swinging. Summer followed him, carrying the piece of wood.

"Nick! Summer! Thank the heavens!" Ralph cried out. Booker frowned as he turned around, placing a tool in a drawer. "I mean, oh wow, you're back, huh?" he quickly added.

"Yeah." Summer said, holding out the wood to Booker. "And we only had a little trouble finding this. It's funny, Nick-" The boy in question pulled the Ranger girl backwards, stepping forward in her place.

"She's just joking, we had absolutely _no_ trouble getting it." He glanced back at Summer with a look. "Right?"

She shrugged. "Right."

"You've obtained ten Ranger Points!" Summer's Styler said all of a sudden. "Quest complete! Congratulations! When you clear a Quest, you'll receive Ranger Points just like clearing a Mission."

"Except I can't use those points, because you're broken…" she muttered to her Styler, annoyed.

Ralph overheard, and looked at Booker. "Why don't you fix her Styler?"

The old man shook his head. "Because I don't have a clue how any of these new-fangled electronic thingies work."

"Oh."

"But electronics aside, you and Nick did a mighty fine job, so thank you. So let's fix this ukulele!" Booker started to walk over to where Ralph had placed the pieces of the broken instrument, but then stopped and turned back to the group. "Nick? Would you like to give it a try?"

The apprentice looked shocked. "Really? Me?"

"Of course." Booker gestured to the pieces. "Do your best."

Summer smiled at the exchange. _See?,_ she thought, _Of course he cares about you._

_Guardian Signs_

_Eleven months ago…_

_A man dressed all in red with blonde hair (except for a bit at the front, which was dyed red) stood next to a woman dressed in light blue, again with blonde hair. They both stood straight, looking ahead of them to wear a dark figure sat in a chair._

"_It's a pleasure to meet you face to face at last, Red Eyes, Blue Eyes."_

_The man and woman glanced at each other, then back ahead. "And you, sir." They said together._

Let this work, _the woman thought._

I hope we make it through this, _the man thought._

"_Excellent." Said the figure. "Now, to business…"_

**Woooo! It's about 700 words shorter than the last chapter, but has key plot points that I hope make up for it! Oooh, who are our mysterious duo from a year ago? And what does that prophecy mean? And was Nick really afraid of adorable Sunkerns? Of course he was!**

**Uploaded on: Monday 30****th**** March 2015**


	7. Chapter 6- Eccentric

**Helloooooo! 'Tis me! I read back my last chapter before writing this one, and realised that it was very dialogue-heavy, so I'll try not to do that as much this time. Also, I'm leaving Celebi and the past of Cocona Village out of this story, because I don't need it. Sorry, those who were hoping for an element of time travel. Aaaaaaaand, Chapter Six! :)**

Chapter Six

Summer exited Booker's house, intent on leaving Nick and the old man to the task of making the ukulele. She smiled as a cool summer breeze tickled her face, and the now-sort-of-familiar scent of the sea drifted to her nostrils. Walking forwards and jumping off the steps, Summer landed in the soft sand. _This place is so pretty…_, she thought, hands in pockets and beach at her feet. Waves crashed softly against the shore. Summer sighed, _…but I have to look for Rand, I guess._

The Ranger headed into Cocona Village, wanting to ask for directions to where Rand lived… only to be immediately surrounded by people. It was the villagers, and they were all desperate for her help.

"Summer! Summer! …You're called Summer, right?" a woman called out, only to be pushed away by a man.

"Ranger! You've got to help! I was in Teakwood Forest, and-" the man was elbowed to the side as a younger man stepped forward, grinning slyly.

He looked around at the people clamouring for Summer's help, chuckling. Then, he shouted, "Shut it!", so loud that it startled everyone in the vicinity. "Now, let's all calm down so this pretty Ranger girl can help me with my problem, and then… I don't care what you people do." The crowd began shouting again in response to the young man's comments.

"Hey! I asked first!"

"But my problem is more serious!"

"No, it isn't! You were dumb enough to let some Pokémon steal your lunch right out of your hands, but I need some Pokémon to help my son get out of Rasp Cavern!"

"Oh no, you don't! He can climb out of there by himself!"

"There was a rockslide, idiot!"

"There are two exits, stupid!"

Summer sighed. It looked like finding Rand would have to wait. But a few extra Ranger Points might come in handy, she supposed. After some effort and a lot of shouting (which Summer did her fair share of), Summer managed to calm down the villagers, and 'clear' their Quests. One involved chasing a Tailow around the forest to recover a man's bread, but it had already been eaten- her efforts weren't completely in vain, however, as she was still awarded some Points. Another required her to capture several Pokémon in order to move a number of large rocks that had trapped a young boy in Rasp Cavern. It was quite hard to find the right Pokémon, but at least the reunion between mother and son was touching. Somewhat.

After several other Quests were completed, Summer decided to head back to Booker's house. Wary of being mobbed by villagers again, she carefully sneaked out of the Cocona Village, glancing around for anyone in need of help… and avoiding them.

Opening the door of the shipbuilder's house again (whilst wondering how many times she'd done that today), the Ranger was greeted warmly.

"Summer!" Ralph cried, raising his arms joyfully.

"Hey." Nick said, leaning against the worktop and smiling at her.

"Excellent timin', lass. We just finished up." Booker held out the new ukulele for the girl to see. Summer felt as if something was different about the instrument, although it looked really similar to the old one. Crouching down, Booker presented Pichu with it.

The mouse Pokémon looked at it excitedly, and in the Ranger girl's opinion, it looked like a child on Christmas morning. Reaching out, Pichu grabbed the ukulele and slung it over his back, practically grinning and becoming Ukulele Pichu once again.

"Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiccccchhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuu!" The Pokémon squealed, hopping around the room. Flipping the instrument over its head, Pichu held one paw over the strings, as if pausing for dramatic effect. The next second, he began to play. The music was just as joyful as it had been the last time Summer had heard it, and the mere sound caused a smile to creep onto everyone's face as they listened.

_Guardian Signs_

Some twenty minutes later, Ukulele Pichu bowed from where he stood next to a sink, and had just finished a very overly-theatrical performance. The audience clapped politely, although they exchanged several looks.

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaay," Ralph said through a yawn, stretching. "I think I'm gonna go, before I'm subjected to- I mean, ah, whatever. Seeya, people!" the boy made his slightly hasty exit, waving to the general are behind him.

Nick stood up from his seat on the workbench with Booker, who turned to a droopy-eyed Summer.

"Alright, Summer? Did you find Rand while you were out?" He asked.

"Um, well, no. I went into the village and got swamped by people asking for my help with random stuff." Summer frowned. "It's getting a bit late, though." A quick glance at her Styler told her that it was almost six o' clock.

"Ah, relax. It's not that late. I'm sure you could even get in some more Quests…" Seeing Summer's look of intense disapproval, Booker stopped while he was ahead. "…But if you're dead set on finding the Area Ranger, I've heard his daughter is around today."

"Right. Anything else I should know?"

"Ah, yes. Rand's daughter will be a massive help, if you can find her. She loves to tinker with machines and that."

"Excellent." Summer stood. "I'll have a look around, see if I can find her." And with that, Summer left.

Nick turned to his boss. "Shouldn't you have mentioned that she's a bit… well, you know?"

Booker frowned. "What?"

"Well, she's a bit… ah, what's the word… eccentric, isn't she?"

"Oh. I see. Yeah, maybe I should have."

"Mmm."

"Summer'll be a bit far away by now, though."

"Just a bit."

"Oh, well."

"Yup."

"…..."

"Hey!" a voice called out from outside, and Summer's head appeared around the door. Both men jumped. "I forgot to ask. What does this girl even look like?"

"Uh, well, she, um, you know, girlish?" Nick supplied with a weak grin. The older man nodded.

Summer raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Girlish? This girl looks… girlish?"

"Heck yeah. Like, really… uh, girlish. And her hair is, like, you know." Nick waved his hands about around his head. "And she's easily recognisable because of… Okay, I don't actually know what she looks like."

"Well, I never would have guessed." Summer muttered, voice layered with sarcasm. "Okay, well, I'll try to find her anyway. I'm sure it won't be too hard, especially as she's got... you know." She copied Nick's silly gestures and walked off, laughing.

"Well, that went well." Booker said with a chuckle.

"Piiii…" Ukulele Pichu bounced forward, staring after the girl. "Pi!" He looked back at Booker, a question in his eyes.

"What is it?" Nick frowned, looking at the small Pokémon.

Booker walked forward. "I think Pichu would like to go with Summer…"

_Guardian Signs_

Summer laughed and walked away from Booker's house, across the sand to an area she had yet to explore. It was probably just more beach but hopefully, Rand's daughter would be somewhere nearby. Looking toward the sea, Summer noticed the sky rather than the waves- the horizon was dyed a fabulous array of oranges and reds, as the sun was setting.

"Piiiichu!" Hearing the Pokémon cry, she spun around and looked down to see Ukulele Pichu dancing around her feet.

"Summer! Hold on a minute!" Booker called out to her, rushing down the steps to where she stood. "I know that I can't really talk to Pokémon, but I reckon' that lil' Pichu here wants to go with you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Booker paused, looking down to where Pichu was running in circles on the sand and lowered his voice. "I think he wants to find his friends."

Summer nodded, face solemn- after all, this was serious business, a Pichu looking for other Pichus. Right? "Well, it's fine with me!" she smiled. "Hey, you know what? Pichu can be my Partner Pokémon!"

Booker looked very happy to hear that, and his smile showed it. "Excellent. You take good care of him for me." He crouched down to where Pichu had sat down with a soft 'whump' after becoming extremely dizzy. Patting him on the head, the old man said, "And you take care of Summer, okay?" Their goodbyes said, the two (or three, if you include the electric-type) parted ways.

Summer turned away with a sad smile. She really felt like she had gotten on well with the man in the few hours she spent with him. With a shrug, Summer told herself that she'd probably see him and Nick around Oblivia anyway. So with a new partner at her side, albeit a smaller one than she was used to, Summer set off down the beach again.

_Guardian Signs_

"Because it's in the interest of science, is _why_!" an annoyed female voice cried, further down the shore. "Please just get Lapras to pull it up!"

"You know Lapras doesn't _dive, _right?" Another replied, gesturing to the creature, who was watching the two with an amused expression.

Hearing the raised voices, Summer jogged down to two girls who were beginning to look quite angry with each other "Hey." She tentatively said, interrupting them.

With twin huffs, the two girls spun around to look at Summer, hands on hips and scowls on faces. One, whose argument was for 'the interest of science', wore glasses and a long lab coat that looked a little big for her. She had red shoes and shockingly light blue hair, but it seemed to suit her. The other wore a pink tank top, denim jeans, sandals and her hair pulled back into a messy bun.

"What?" the second snapped, waiting for Summer to say something.

"Don't be rude, Nixie," the one with the lab coat said, looking at Summer with an excited grin.

Folding her arms and keeping up the impatient manner, 'Nixie' rolled her eyes. "Says the one who's been badgering me for ages. And it's Nicola to you." She added, with vehemence.

"I've never seen another Ranger before besides my dad." Holding out her hand, the girl added, "I'm Nema."

"Summer." The Ranger replied, shaking the outstretched hand. "Wait. You say your dad is-"

"Yeah, he's the Area Ranger for Oblivia. But, anyhoo, not important." Suddenly, Nema moved closer, grabbing Summer's shoulders with a wild look. "Hey, can you swim? You can right? Oh wow, are those goggles? So you can totally open your eyes underwater, right? That's awesome, you see, I need you to dive into the ocean, I don't know how far, but this UFO from wherever fell into the ocean and I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed to examine it- for science, obviously- and then yeah, so if you could just get it for me that would be just AMAZING." Smiling, Nema stepped back.

Summer blinked. "Hang on. You want me to dive goodness knows how far into the ocean, retrieve this 'UFO' and come back?"

"Exactly." Nema said, nodding. To her, the plan was almost flawless.

"I guess I could. You're lucky I'm able to breathe underwater." There was a pause, and Summer realised too late that she should have mentioned the Micro Aqualung.

"What?! Were you born that way? Does it run in your family? How come it's not been on the news?" The little scientist stepped forward, reaching out and touching the Ranger, as if to make sure she was real. "Are you an alien?" she whispered.

Summer's mouth almost dropped open, but she caught herself. "Ummmm, no. Not an alien. I just meant, I have something that lets me breathe underwater."

"Yeah, I got that. What is it? A special gene or something?"

Nixie rolled her eyes, watching the exchange with disdain. Then the girl realised that while Nema was preoccupied, she could just leave. _That stupid Nema won't even notice me _she thought, inwardly grinning and beginning to sneak away. But she was wrong.

"Oi! You!" a voice shouted. Nixie looked around, wondering who it could possibly be, before realising who it really was. "You ain't going anywhere." The speaker turned to a bewildered Summer. "So. Special gene, is it?"

"What? No, no. I meant- it's this." Reaching a hand towards her goggles (and backing away from the… peculiar girl at the same time), Summer pressed a button, and the Micro Aqualung began to form around her face. "It's special equipment issued from the Ranger Union."

"Oh, I see. So, no special powers or anything?"

"No. Not at all."

"Oh, man. I was kind of hoping you might be this awesome, super mutant Ranger or something, you know?"

The non-mutant Ranger sighed and replied shortly, "No. I don't. I really don't."

Summer frowned. If this experience had proven anything, it was going to be a long evening. A loooong evening.

_Guardian Signs_

Summer gasped as her head broke the surface of the water, drawing in a lungful of oxygen. Breathing with the Aqualung for an extended period of time tended to make one miss the luxury of _fresh _air.

Kicking her tired legs, the Ranger made her way over to where Nixie's- or rather, _Nicola's_- Lapras was waiting expectantly. She would have been quicker, but swimming was quite an effort as she was dragging the 'U.F.O. thing' (which was clearly a Z.Z. Flyer, but Nema was obviously not privy to this information) along. It wasn't that it was heavy, per se, just that Summer would go faster with the use of her arms.

"How did I agree to this?" The girl asked the waiting Pokémon with a grunt, heaving herself onto its back. She was sure that if the creature could have shrugged, it would have. "Let's go, then." And with a pat from its rider, Lapras headed back to the shore.

_Guardian Signs_

"For goodness sake, I knocked her off her damn Staraptor, _Blue_ _Eyes_." Red Eyes leant against a table, glaring at a wall.

"She'll survive," his blue clad, female counterpart said. "She _is_ a Ranger."

Red Eyes through his hands up, turning his scowl on the woman. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Oh, she's a Ranger, so she'll survive falling from the sky into the _sea_. Oh, yeah, that makes sense!" He was standing now, the pitch of his voice climbing higher with his anxiety.

Blue Eyes flicked her blonde hair out of her face and chose her words carefully, in an attempt to calm her partner. "All I'm saying is, she should have an Aqualung on her. It's standard Ranger equipment. You might have forgotten that, but luckily I haven't."

Red Eyes' eyes widened, and he dropped his angry stance with a sigh. "Sorry. You're right, I completely forgot." He gave a chuckle. "You always remember everything, huh."

The woman grinned and put on a smug expression. "Well, I _am_ the smart one."

"What the heck? Says who?" Despite his words, Red Eyes laughed. After a moment and a sigh, his face turned serious. "How long do we have to keep this up?"

Blue Eyes frowned at the floor. "…As long as they haven't made their move."

"And when they do? What then?"

"Oh, pish posh, you know what." She grinned and shot her arm out, pointing her forefinger at the ceiling. "Interception!" With a laugh, Blue Eyes turned to leave. "I better go. It'd probably look weird if we stay together for too long." The last words were directed over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

"Interception, huh." The red-clothed man muttered. "Can't come soon enough, can it?"

_Guardian Signs_

"Here." Unceremoniously dumping the Z.Z. Flyer on the sand, Summer let out a world-weary sigh and stepped back.

"Woah, woah, careful!" Nema cried out, rushing forward and crouching to examine the machine. "This is it? All of it?"

"Yes." Summer muttered. In her less than happy state, she was forced to refrain herself from adding a snarky, 'problem?'.

"Hmm." Nema sat back onto the sand, placing her chin in her hand, face wearing a frown. "Looked more exciting while it was falling into the water, you know?"

Summer chose to say nothing. Out loud.

The budding scientist stood, delicately brushing off the sand that stuck to her lab coat. "Unfortunately, it's not from some alien race."

"No kidding! What makes you say that?" the question came from a less than pleased Nixie, who didn't appear to be similarly troubled about voicing her less than polite thoughts.

"Well, for one thing," (the sarcasm appeared to have sailed over Nema's head) "it looks like it's been made from materials found on Earth, and for another… it has the words, 'Z.Z. Flyer 08' on it."

Summer chose to provide her knowledge on the matter. "It's used by a group called by the Pokémon Pinchers to fly around."

"To fly? Really?" The excitement that had dissipated a few seconds ago returned to the girl's face. She let out a whistle. "Cool."

"Mmm." Summer smiled slightly as Pichu rubbed against her foot, attempting to cheer her up.

Nema grinned. "So, this is a Mission Clear, I think!"

"Huh?"

"Well, you got the thing… Z.Z. Flyer for me, so it's time for a pose!"

A pose...? Oh, right. Summer performed her Ranger pose as the words, 'Mission Clear' flashed on her Styler's screen. Said machine also told her that she had 'obtained 50 Ranger Points' and again reminded her that she was currently unable to use said points.

"Hey, is that broken?" Nema asked, stepping over the Z.Z. Flyer and grabbing Summer's arm to examine her Styler.

"Um, yeah."

"Well, do you want it fixing or what?" Pushing her glasses back up her nose (as they had fallen while she was peering at the Styler) and stepping back, the blue-haired girl smiled.

Summer blinked. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? You'd have to come to my house, though. All my tinkering stuff is there."

"Wow. Thanks!" Summer smiled. "And, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to speak with your dad…"

"Sure thing! Except he and mum are out right now, but you're totally welcome to stay over!"

"Oh…" Summer had hoped to talk to Rand as soon as possible, so that some sort of plan to find Ben could be formed. But then again, Nema was offering to let her spend the night, and who was she to turn down such a kind offer? "Well, thank you!"

"No problem. It's this way." Nema jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "I'll carry this. It's only fair, 'cause I made you get it and carry it back." The Ranger girl was about to protest when the other reached down and picked up the Z.Z. Flyer with ease. "'Sides, I'm carting stuff like this around all the time."

And, trading genuine smiles, the two set off.

…

…

…

"Well, you're _so welcome, guys_!" Nixie cried, angrily stomping her foot and kicking up sand. The two that her angry shout was aimed at did not turn around, however. Instead, they just grinned.

**Uploaded on: Wednesday 15****th**** April 2015**

**3/10/15 Hi, it's me! After forever. Profuse apologies to those following this fic- please bear with me, as I will do my best to write a lot more frequently from now on.**


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